Error-prone abbreviations, symbols and dose designations

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They've been circulating this at work, thought I'd share.:smiletea:

http://www.ismp.org/Tools/errorproneabbreviations.pdf

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

We've been using this for quite a while. However; some of those are just ridiculous. Some of the mistakes I've seen that have been made, like "Orange Juice in the eye" please!

Pat

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I am new to a unit that uses paper charts with hand writing for orders. I am used to computerized orders. Well, I fortunately clarified, but the order was: "Lispro Insulin 25U (tID) with meals".

Looks legible enough in this typing buy I swear it looked like it said, "Lispro Insulin 25U, "plus" 10U. The "t" was not capitalized, the "I" was not dotted or capitalzed and the capital D was rounded with the other parenthesis running into it, looking like a funky "U".

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Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

thanks

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

Now if we could just get the doctors to realize they shouldnt use them.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

another ismp tool: ismp's list of confused drug names

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you know, BT in the philippines means blood transfusion, not bedtime..its good to know that not all things are the same...thanks adrienurse :nuke:

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On a related note, is there anywhere where I can learn the shorthand being used, eg a "T" with two dots on top of it to indicate "two tablets"?

I don't even know what this system is called, and it's pretty frighteningly easy to misread/misinterpret...:banghead:

-Kevin

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We've been using this for quite a while. However; some of those are just ridiculous. Some of the mistakes I've seen that have been made, like "Orange Juice in the eye" please!

Pat

what a strange order, that is just funny

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Now if we could just get the doctors to realize they shouldnt use them.

some doctors will probably not use them b/c of potantial error, then there are those that will never change

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On a related note, is there anywhere where I can learn the shorthand being used, eg a "T" with two dots on top of it to indicate "two tablets"?

I don't even know what this system is called, and it's pretty frighteningly easy to misread/misinterpret...:banghead:

-Kevin

I just learned them from nursing school/clinicals and also with experience on the floor. Usually '/. is one.....two ''/.. three '''/...

of course that would be written with the dots on top of each other with the line not slanted. I dont know anything about short-hand symbols but it will be more clear to understand with working

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.
On a related note, is there anywhere where I can learn the shorthand being used, eg a "T" with two dots on top of it to indicate "two tablets"?

I don't even know what this system is called, and it's pretty frighteningly easy to misread/misinterpret...:banghead:

-Kevin

It's just a "T" with a dot over the middle of the top. "TT" for two, "TTT" for three. I've not seen more than that.

Is that the apothocary system?

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